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The EX-TRAAAH-VAH-GAAAAHN-ZA, Day One

Today is the part of the special hockey EX-TRAAAH-VAH-GAAAAHN-ZA when fifty-something people pile on a bus first thing in the morning only to sit and sit and sit and eat lunch at a truck stop and then sit and sit and sit some more until finally they get out of the bus at a hotel in Jamestown, New York, where they then stand and stand and stand in line until fifty-something people get their room keys.

That said, there were some things of note that occurred today and, as I am currently sitting in a dark hotel room using all the powers of my mind to WILL Jack to go to sleep, I have some time to tell you about those things.

The first of those things is if you are very, very sore from a strenuous workout, you should not then sit in one spot for seven hours because the inactivity will cause your muscles to tighten up until they are so sore that you can barely wrestle the iPad out of your 8-year-old’s hands after he has been playing on it for seven hours.

Seriously. I hopped on the bus all jaunty-like this morning, experiencing mild soreness. I hobbled off the bus all painful-like after dinner this evening, experiencing extreme stiffness. Every time my nose itches, I have to evaluate whether it is worth the tricep pain to lift my arm and scratch. Evidently I need to work out more.

Jack was so excited to get on the road today. He usually drags around in the morning, but he was hopping around and kept trying to leave the house and get in the car before it was time to go. I dropped both Sam and Quinn off at their schools before heading to the bus rendezvous point. Let me tell you, Quinn was properly irate that Jack got to miss school and he didn’t.

It’s funny, actually, because in the time it took Jack and I to slowly make our way to New York state, Alex got on an airplane, flew to New York City, had a meeting, and flew back. I was pretty worried for much of the day that Quinn would puke at school and the nurse would call to have me pick him up and I would have to tell her that Alex and I both abandoned our children for separate trips to another state. Many thanks to our friends and neighbors who helped us with school bus pickup. We’re so happy to have these people in our village.

Speaking of metaphorical villages, Jack’s hockey team is such a great little community. Jack and I have gotten to know many of the players and their families better since last year. Today was a wonderful exercise in remembering how much I like all these people. It doesn’t hurt that Jack’s best friend is also playing in the EX-TRAAAH-VAH-GAAAAHN-ZA.

One of the things I like very much about this team is being around the older kids. There is a group of older teenagers on this team who are such incredible people. I watch the way they look after the younger kids and are so caring and kind to them, and I have hope for this generation. These kids? They are Such Good Kids. Such good young men, really. I am so thrilled to have them around as examples and hopefully inspirations to my Jack. These young men usually skate at a different practice than Jack’s squad, so we don’t get to spend a lot of time with them, but it is a privilege to do so when we get a chance.

Jack seems to have fallen asleep and I want to go rest in my bed and let my sad, sad, weak muscles recover, so I’ll just share one last thing with you. Jack today, when he wasn’t sitting quietly playing his iPad, was a stimmy, spinny, dysregulated little dude. But he was also a happy little dude. He is excited to be on this trip. He is proud to be a Montgomery Cheetah. He wants to play in the EX-TRAAAH-VAH-GAAAAHN-ZA.

Stimey believes rodents are funny, autism may be different than you think, and that if you have a choice between laughing and crying, you should always try to laugh—although sometimes you may have to do both.